


Ready?

by chvotic



Series: Kiddie Peter One Shots [12]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood, Brothers, Children, Crying, Diapers, Domestic Fluff, Father-Son Relationship, Fear of Flying, Fluff, Gen, Kid Harley Keener, Kid Peter Parker, Nightmares, Panic Attacks, Parent Tony Stark, Past Violence, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Protective Harley Keener, Protective Older Brothers, Protective Tony Stark, Separation Anxiety, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Thumb-sucking, Tony Stark Acting as Harley Keener's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2020-10-19 03:13:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20650265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chvotic/pseuds/chvotic
Summary: He landed with a thud at the front of the alleyway FRIDAY directed him to, his mouth dropping open when he saw the scene in front of him.There were two children. Two boys by the looks of it. One was being held up by his tiny arms by a man who looked like he had seen better days, with a second man standing in front with his fists clenched. The third man was holding the second child, who was covered head to toe in blood. No, scratch that, both of the little boys were covered in blood.Or, in which, Tony was not ready to be a parent but somehow ended up with two little boys he just couldn't seem to ignore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so after another month of being MIA i come out with this shit that's been sitting in my unfinished drafts for about three months... idk what it is or if it will ever be finished or how many chapters it will have, but i decided why not post it? maybe comments and suggestions will give me more inspo.
> 
> if not, this will be deleted and y'all can pretend it was never here.
> 
> and if you're waiting for an update on my other fic Side Effects, that won't be for a while. i know i said a few weeks but... shit happened and another month got away from me. sorry.
> 
> anyways, hope whoever is still with me likes this!

Tony's day had gotten from bad, to worse, to horrible in a span of a few minutes.

First, he had woken up to his usual nightmares of New York and Sokovia, no surprise there, with his sheets soaked with sweat and his body half hanging out of bed from the amount of thrashing he had to have been doing. The way he had been lying alone had given him a sore neck, and it hadn't even been light outside yet. Tony had woken up at five in the morning, and had ended up dragging himself down into the lab as he did every morning to work on his new armor to distract himself from the terrors in his dreams.

Next, Pepper had demanded he do his paperwork. Tony wanted to gauge his eyes out as soon as he saw his ex-girlfriend aggressively entering the numbers into the keypad, knowing he was in for an earful as soon as he saw the expression on her face. He had still been covered head to toe in sweat from his nightmares hours before hand which was mixing with the sweat from his work, and he saw the exact moment Pepper's nose wrinkled in disgust. The disgust disappeared as quickly as it had come, and soon Pepper had slammed the stack of papers on his desk and started screaming at him.

Pepper's yelling had then gone further to give him a headache, and once she had left, he had felt the undeniable urge to hurl the papers across the room just to spite her. Tony did not start one, instead picking them up and dumping them on another desk out of sight, then going back to his armor.

Tony had been doing just that when the Avengers alarm began to echo around the lab. The sound had made his head pound more and more, anger running through his veins as he slammed his tools on the table and began suiting up just seconds after it begun. Of course, some emergency was happening on one of Tony's worst days. That's how he ended up here, fighting an army of poorly built robots in Queens. 

Tony's head continued to pound against his skull, though it was merely becoming background noise as his team screamed in the comms every few minutes, not really talking to him specifically. Tony didn't know why they were freaking out so much, FRIDAY was already destroying the robot's coding as we speak. Whoever had built them had done a shitty job, and it was almost like they were made out of tinfoil. With one punch, they broke into pieces. Usually, with people who actually knew what they were building, it would take a few of Tony's repulser blasts to destroy them. But now, he had hardly even used his repulsers, and none of the robots had touched him once.

Tony kept an eye on the progress bar in the corner of his screen, pretty much standing in the middle of the battle field launching out a fist or a kick whenever a robot got too close. He could see Steve and Clint not too far away from him, Steve sending his shield through almost ten at once. Tony marvelled at how the shield always came back to him, no matter what it hit. But then his mood would darken when he remembered who exactly built that shield. A man who had loved Captain America more than his own son.

Tony rolled his eyes, shaking his head a few times. He immediately regretted it when it hurt, trying not to scream out in frustration.

This is what happens when there is hardly a battle to be fought. Tony would think about other things, like Howard Stark for fucks sake. He hardly needed to focus on killing the robots. If this was a bigger battle, a battle against HYDRA for example, Tony wouldn't even be able to notice his headache because he would be so focused on the task at hand. 

Of course, Tony didn't want this fight to turn south. There were civilians here, and that's who they were protecting. As always. Tony was pretty sure the majority had been evacuated to other parts of the city, but there would be those few who wouldn't have been able to make it out on time. Tony couldn't be too sure, because his heat signature reading was a little faulty from their last battle just a few days ago. He hadn't had enough time to fix it.

Tony almost screamed, finally using a repulser blast to get rid of these thoughts and his anger. He wasn't distracted enough, he needed a distraction so he could stop thinking about useless shit that won't even matter in a few years. Steve's voice crackled in his ear, the comms on their last legs. As usual, Tony would need to fix them, like he fixed everything else. 

"Iron Man, what is your status?"

"Really, Capsicle? I'm right next to you and Legolas. Kicking ass, might I add."

"Stark." Steve sighed, Tony rolling his eyes. Sure, he and Steve weren't enemies like they had been when they first met. That didn't mean they didn't have issues along the way. Most of the time they were civil, and maybe even friends. "Your progress on the robots."

"Fri's almost done, hold your horses. Whoever made these did a disgusting job, it's fucking appalling. They should at least have some more advanced co-"

"Not everyone is as advanced as you, Tony." Natasha cut in, earning a quick quirk of the lips from Tony. "They just keep coming. Who knows how many there are, or where they're coming from."

Tony didn't answer, Steve going off on some tangent to Natasha instead. Tony continued to punch robots. His head continued to pound, becoming more and more prominent as he got bored, willing FRIDAY to hurry up so he could go home and go back to work, maybe even down some painkillers. 

Tony groaned when he remembered. They wouldn't be able to go home because they had to clean up the damage that was caused.

Since Sokovia, their reputation had been damaged severely. They hadn't been there to clean up their mess, and neither had they been with New York a few years beforehand. Fury had insisted that they join the clean up team, to show that they actually cared about the civilians. Tony didn't know why Fury of all people would come up with that, but each Avenger was forced to go along with it either way. Tony was sure the others did care about mending their reputation, but there was always that fleeting thought that it would be just Tony. Tony, cleaning up the messes and fixing everyone's gear after battles to make up for making a murder-bot. 

Tony sighed, getting lost in his mind for the umpteenth time. He glanced at the progress bar in his HUD, glad to see that it was at ninety-nine percent. Any second now, all these robots would drop dead and they would have a big clean up on their hands. Maybe Tony could figure out who made these bastards and where they were coming from.

True to his word, almost a minute later all the robots began shutting down. "Good job, baby girl."

"Why thank you, Boss." FRIDAY sounded sarcastic, which made Tony smirk. She wasn't quite JARVIS, but they both had the same snark. Tony's heart ached when he thought of JARVIS. "I believe that whoever made these bots do not know what they are doing."

"You could say that again." Tony said with a sigh, lifting his faceplate. Steve and Clint were the first ones over to him, looking relieved that the battle was finished. Tony didn't know why, they hardly had a fight on their hands. Tony knew from the second they got there that this would be an easy battle. SHIELD could have shot those things with one bullet and they would be dust. It was almost like they were made out of sand. "Ready for clean up, boys?"

"Did you figure out who made the robots?" Steve asked, not acknowledging what Tony had said. Tony narrowed his eyes, Natasha making her way over. Thor was standing on top of one of the sky scrapers, what he was doing, Tony had no idea. In the corner of his eye, he could see the Hulk also looking up at Thor. Tony was a little spooked at how calm the Hulk had been this entire time, as if he too knew that the robots were hardly a threat. "Stark."

"Hmm, what?" Tony asked, faking stupidity. "You were saying?"

Steve sighed, resting his hands on his utility belt. "I said, did you figure out who made the robots?"

"No, Captain." Tony mock-saluted, before he began walking over to the remains of a robot. He bent down as far as the suit would allow, pushing the pieces around to see if he could find a logo of any kind. When he found none, he stood up and turned back around to the unimpressed Steve and Clint. Wanting to anger them more, he raised his hand in another mock-salute. "No logos here, Sir!"

"This isn't a joke." Steve rolled his eyes, though when Tony looked to Natasha, he could see her smirking just slightly. 

"Well, go find their evil lair or something. These bastards had to be coming from somewhere. While you do that, I'll clean up, Deal? Deal. Bye Cap."

"I'm the leader here." Steve replied after a few moments. "You, Nat and Hulk stay here and aid the clean up teams. Clint, Thor and I will see where the robots were coming from."

"That's what I said. Just not so official and Captain-y." Tony snarked back, smiling innocently when Steve glared. 

With that, Thor, Clint and Steve began heading off in the direction the robots had been coming from. Tony was a little confused as to why Thor was up on the sky scrapers instead of the ground, listening through the comms instead of coming down to meet them. Tony watched the faint God-like figure fly between buildings, as if he was doing parkour or something. Strange, though kind of funny. Tony resisted the urge to laugh at the thought of Thor doing parkour. 

When the others disappeared behind a building, Tony began to pathetically kick scraps into a pile. SHIELD's team should be there soon, they could do this. Tony had more advanced activities to engage in.

Without saying a word, he flipped his faceplate back down and took off. He flew further up, where there had to be more damage, in the same direction that the others would be going. Steve would, no doubt, be pissed at him for coming along, but Tony had to figure out who these things were made by and what their purpose was. Diversion? Some toys for the Avengers to play with to break into the Compound? A trick? It had all been too easy. Tony couldn't just stand there kicking robot remains into piles until SHIELD arrived. He knew more about tech than either Steve, Clint or Thor. Bruce wasn't with them at the moment, and Hulk had the intellect of a four-year-old.

He stopped when FRIDAY focused on a slightly bigger part of one of the robots, just outside of the battle zone. The robots seemed to have fallen to pieces from colliding with the ground after shutting down, Tony wanting to laugh at how terribly they were built. There had to be something of significance on this particular piece of metal, because FRIDAY wouldn't spot some robot part if it wasn't. Tony flew down to it, landing with a loud, mechanical thud. He must have gone on a different path to the others, because he hadn't seen them once, and the robots range had been bigger than they had thought. That meant more damage for them to clean up. Fun.

The comms were silent, surprisingly. Maybe they knew he would go against Steve's orders and couldn't be bothered to scold him for it.

"What is it, Fri?" Tony asked, picking up the piece of metal and brought it closer. The logo was distorted, as if water had washed the paint away, or it hadn't been painted properly in the first place. Tony tried to make out what the red symbol was supposed to be, FRIDAY running tests as he did so. "Organisation we haven't fought before?"

"I afraid not, Sir." Tony's gut dropped when the image appeared in his HUD. "It appears that this is the symbol of HYDRA."

"Guys." Tony said into the comms immediately, not waiting for an answer. "They're from HYDRA."

"What?" Steve was the first one to speak, and he spoke almost too quickly. "How do you know that?"

"Fri recognised the symbol on one of the parts." Tony said, before dropping the metal. "This can't be HYDRA. They're way more advanced than this. They have the Winter Soldier, for Christ's sake. What do they need these shitty robots for?"

"Diversion, maybe?" Natasha cut in after a few moments of silence, Tony getting ready to take off and head back to where he was supposed to be before Steve realised where he was and what he was doing. "They could be planning something bigger and using this as a distraction. I wouldn't put it past them. They've done it before."

Tony took off as he listened to the spy speak, and was heading back to her and Hulk. He flew slow, slower than he usually would, trying to piece together this whole operation as he did so. He didn't see the need to rush back. Why would HYDRA need shabby robots like this? Maybe, this was a rip-off of HYDRA. Something was fishy, HYDRA would never bother to set off poorly built robots if they had a super soldier. Maybe it was a diversion for the Winter Soldier to get into the Compound or something.

No, that couldn't be it. FRIDAY would have known if the Winter Soldier, or anyone, had broken in by now.

His thoughts were cut off when he heard a loud, piercing scream. He must have been flying close enough the ground that it even reached him through the suit, almost falling out of the air from the sound. Another followed the first, the screams merely seconds apart, confusion filling Tony's mind as he slowed down just a little. Moments later, FRIDAY was talking in his ear.

"I am detecting conflict in a small alleyway to the far right of you, Sir." She said, her voice sounding a little panicked. Heat signatures appeared in his HUD, Tony realising that maybe it wasn't so faulty after all. "Three men and and two children."

Tony took a second to glance around where he was. Somehow, he was hovering over what was looking like one of the shadier parts of Queens. He didn't remember flying here, he must have been too lost in thought. There were no signs of robot wreckage here. How off course had he gotten?

Without saying a word, Tony took off in the direction that FRIDAY had displayed for him. He winced when his head began to pound again, as if taunting Steve and the possibility of HYDRA being behind this had been the distraction that made him forget about the pain. But now it was back, even when he had another distraction. Tony wasn't so sure if he wanted to find out what conflict this was, but now that he knew about it, he couldn't just turn around and fly away like FRIDAY had never told him.

He landed with a thud at the front of the alleyway FRIDAY directed him to, his mouth dropping open when he saw the scene in front of him. 

There were two children. Two boys by the looks of it. One was being held up by his tiny arms by a man who looked like he had seen better days, with a second man standing in front with his fists clenched. The third man was holding the second child, who was covered head to toe in blood. No, scratch that, both of the little boys were covered in blood.

All three men's heads were turned, staring at him with their mouths hanging open. Though, Tony's eyes were only for the child being strung up like a piece of meat, who was wailing at the top of his lungs as he tried to get away. The kid was tiny, tinier than the other boy. He seemed even dirtier and bloodier, too.

There was something so wrong about this situation that made Tony see red, immediately marching forwards. The mechanical sounds echoed around the narrow alleyway as he moved, the second child's eyes watching his every movement. The men seemed frozen in place, the baby thrashing and wailing. Tony wasn't sure if the kid was trying to get away from him or the man he was being held by. Maybe both.

"You. Both of you. Hands up." Tony directed to the man with his hands free, and the other who was holding the older child. FRIDAY was running facial recognition without being asked. Both men did as they were told, panic clear in their expressions, hands trembling. The older child scrambled away from his captor, right over to the man who was holding the wailing baby. Tony was momentarily distracted by the blood on the men's hands. The children's blood. Who the fuck does this when there's a robot army attempting to destroy your city? "Don't fucking move."

Tony turned to the man holding the younger kid, voice low and full of fury. He had no idea where the anger had come from, but used it nonetheless. "Put him down. Slowly. Drop him, you die instantly."

The man also did as he was told, carefully placing the child on the ground. The kid immediately fell onto all fours and tried to stand, only to fall back down and almost bash his head on the concrete. Tony winced as he watched, feeling his heart shoot out of his chest when the older child rushed to the younger, pulling him away from the man. Brothers, maybe?

Tony gestured for all the men to step aside, grateful when they did as they were told, silent and compliant, FRIDAY displaying their identities just moments later.

Nobodies. They had a criminal record of stealing and drugs, but their names meant nothing to Tony. He didn't bother to read them, the police would deal with it.

At just that very moment, Steve decided to scream in his ear and almost give him a heart attack. "Stark! Where are you, what are you doing? I told you to st-"

Tony turned off his comms before he could finish. He would worry about the repercussions later.

"Fri, take control for me." Tony said as he stepped out of the suit, FRIDAY immediately obeying him and standing in front of the three men with repulsers raised. Tony could see their bodies trembling, looking like they were shitting themselves. Tony gave them a once over. Baggy, ripped clothing, dirty skin, ruffled hair and yellow teeth. Homeless, he supposed.

He turned away from them and back to the children. They were both curled up together, the smaller with his thumb in his mouth, two sets of terrified eyes boring into Tony's skull. Tony looked them over, spotting a diaper around the waist of the younger. He had no pants, the only clothing being a ratty, oversized t-shirt. The older had pants and a similar oversized shirt.

Tony ignored all of his thoughts telling him he didn't know how to talk to a child, let alone two of them, slowly kneeling down in front of them. "Hey, kids."

Hey kids?

Tony resisted the urge to bash his head on a brick wall, trying not to die from his own stupidity. That is not how you greet children who have just been abused by three adult men, Jesus fucking Christ. He had already ridiculed himself, and he wouldn't even be surprised if the kids took off.

Though, despite his horrendous first attempt to converse with the kids, they continued to stare at him with those huge, terrified and teary eyes. They were full of so much innocence that it made Tony's heart clench painfully in his chest, wondering who could have ever hurt children like this.

Howard's face flashed into his mind.

Tony ignored it.

He tried to smile, though he knew it was strained and probably made him look terrifying. The kids didn't look away from him, though, both their teary brown eyes burned holes into Tony's own. The more he stared, the more he picked out the resemblance of Bambi within the younger kid. 

"Iron Man?" The oldest spoke up, his voice a low whisper. He wished he didn't understand what he said.

"Yeah, that's me." Tony replied, despite not knowing whether the child was talking about the suit or he himself. "How old are you, kid?"

Tony had no idea what to say. He'd just saved these two kids, who to him, looked like babies. Tony had no idea what to do from here. He couldn't leave the kids here, and he police should be coming by now to check out the damage from the robots. Well, maybe he could leave the kid here. The police would handle it, get them into a foster home.

But the look in those eyes made Tony instantly feel guilty for having such a thought. 

"I'm s-seven." The oldest whispered, his arms protectively wrapped around the youngest, who was whimpering every few seconds for a reason Tony couldn't determine just yet. "P-Peter is four."

A name. Peter. 

A small whimper left Peter's mouth as if it were on cue, raising the hand he wasn't using to suck on his thumb, displaying four fingers, as if to make sure that Tony knew. God, they were so young. Seven and four. So fragile, so innocent.

"Wow, you're big." Tony said despite his thoughts, knowing he wasn't being comforting in the slightest. Comforting wasn't what Tony... was. He didn't know how to speak to kids, let alone adults when they were upset. "Can you tell me who these three guys are over there?"

Tony hadn't been sure if the kids understood what he had said, but the oldest glancing to the men told him he did. Tony regretted asking the question when both kids visibly shrunk away, Peter's dirtied face scrunching up as if he were about to scream.

"Fri, tell the others to get the Quinjet ready." Tony said, knowing FRIDAY would hear him no matter how far away he was. "What's your name, kid?"

"H-Harley."

Tony nodded, trying to smile again. Peter and Harley. 

"Do you know where your parents are?"

Harley shook his head a few times, Peter having no reaction. Tony wasn't going leave these kids here, with or without children. He was about to speak again when one of the men started yelling, causing Tony to stand up and launch himself forward so he was in front of the children incase the man tried something. Thankfully, the man who had started screaming hadn't left his position, but he looked angry. The shaking of his hands was either from fear or anger, Tony had no idea. 

"The little runt is a mutant, Stark! He'll fit in right with the Avengers! Fucking mutants, you're all fucking disgusting!" Spit sprayed from the man's mouth, catching in his beard and probably all over Tony's armour. Tony narrowed his eyes, keeping his body in front of Harley and Peter, Peter in which had begun crying louder now. All he knew was that he was getting these kids out of here no matter what, and would figure out what happened to their parents afterwards. If they didn't have parents, there had to be other living relatives that Tony could take them to. If there wasn't... he didn't know what would happen after that. 

The man continued to scream. "He's good for nothing! That kid's pathetic, shouldn't even be alive! He's a freak!"

Tony flinched when he felt something wrap around his leg. He kept himself calm, looking down to see Harley now standing, wrapping one arm around Tony's leg, the other around Peter. Peter was crying so hard it looked like it hurt, heaving in deep breaths before choking out a sob. Tony's heart broke for the both of them, pretty much babies, beaten, covered in blood and bawling their eyes out, clinging to Tony's leg like it was a lifeline. 

This was not what he was expecting his day to turn into. He had not been expecting to find kids out here, getting beaten up by two adults much bigger and stronger than him. Along with that, one of them was apparently a mutant. Tony had no way to test that theory as of yet, this man could be talking shit for all he knew.

He let the little boys hang onto him, knowing for a fact that if he left Harley and Peter here, they would surely die. He continued to glare at the men as he addressed FRIDAY. "Fri, comms on."

Immediately, maybe under a second after FRIDAY turned Tony's comms back on, Steve's voice was projected out of the suit. "Tony! Tony, are you there?"

God forbid, was Steve worried?

Tony almost scoffed.

"Someone get the Quinjet over here. Fri will send coordinates." He then yelled just loud enough for it to reach the comms, before turning back to the men and lowered his voice. "You two will be staying here until the police arrive. Don't think you're getting away with this, you pieces of shit. Have fun in jail."

"You have no idea what you're doing, Stark!" The man yelled again, the other remaining silent. By the look on the second man's face, he knew that they were done for. "You hear that, mutant? You're going to be captured by them and they'll send you away, just like your parents did. Or better yet, they'll make a soldier out of you!"

Tony's eyes just widened slightly, though he forced himself to ignore what the man was saying. He could be lying his ass off, there was always that possibility. He needed to get Peter and Harley away from all these crazies, unless the kids took off right now thinking Tony was about to kill them. 

Tony was rather surprised when Harley squeezed tighter and buried his face into the back of Tony's leg, pulling Peter closer. Tony's heart squeezed in a way he didn't think was possible. This was different from saving people in the midst of battle, when it was a threat endangering hundreds of people. This was two young kids, stuck with two abusers and supposedly homeless. The kid didn't look much better than the men, clothing and cleanliness wise, which looked so wrong. Even Tony knew kids weren't supposed to look like that.

Steve, in the meantime, was still demanding Tony's attention in the comms. Tony ignored him, turning around so he wasn't looking at those pigs anymore. He gently pried Harley's arm away from his leg and crouched back down, holding his small and trembling hand despite not knowing what the fuck he was trying to do here. Tony checked Harley over first, sympathy coursing through his veins as he studied him. 

There was a large gash on his forehead, and a few smaller cuts on his arms. Who knew what was underneath the shirt. Peter, on the other hand, looked like he had been dumped in a bucket of blood. Tony couldn't see wounds from the sheer amount of it, deciding he would rather not know.

Tony was quite surprised that these kids were still alive, the both of them looking like murder victims. Kid's weren't supposed to look like this, even Tony knew that. Never had he seen someone look so sad. 

"Okay, listen up." Tony said, trying his best to keep his voice gentle but loud enough to be heard over Peter's cries. "I'm going to take you guys somewhere safe, okay? These men won't hurt you anymore. I'm going to help you out, alright? Do you understand me?"

Harley nodded, Peter looking up at him. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks through the blood and dirt, Harley's eyes watery. There was a slight nod from Peter, though Tony wasn't sure if any of them truly understood what he meant. 

He could hear the thrum of the Quinjet now, feeling relief surge through him. The quicker he got them away from the three men, the better.

"I'm going to pick you up, Peter. Is that okay?" Tony wasn't sure why he was asking, but felt the need to either way. Peter was smaller, smaller than what he would think a four-year-old would be, and he wasn't sure if the kid would be able to walk. He was clueless as to what to do here, but watched as Peter looked up to Harley.

"You w-won't hurt us?" Harley asked, pulling his hand away from Tony's to wrap around his brother. Tony found himself wanting to cry for some odd reason, though pushed that down as he nodded.

"I'm going to take you somewhere safe. I won't hurt you."

Harley stared at him for a few moments before nodding, unwrapping his arms from Peter. Peter looked to his brother, the two having some kind of silent conversation before Peter lifted his arms up, creating grabbing motions with his fingers.

Tony stood back up, placing his hands underneath Peter's armpits and hoisted him onto his hip in the most gentle way he could. He had held a child once or twice when being forced to take a picture with them, but this was completely different to those times. This kid was injured and scared, and was being saved by someone he didn't even know. Tony suspected Harley and Peter only trusted him because he knew he was Iron Man.

Now that Peter was in Tony's arms, he could really feel the diaper. Four-year-olds were supposed to be out of diapers by now, weren't they?

He pushed that thought away for later. He would ask the medics, or even Clint, since he had been hiding his family this entire time and had more experience than any of the other Avengers. 

Tony held out his hand for Harley, who took it almost immediately, pressing close to his leg. Just like that, Tony began guiding them to safety, but was stopped seconds later when Peter suddenly screamed out. "'o!"

"No?" Tony asked, stopping instantly. He could just see the Quinjet landing on the street outside. Did the kid want to be left behind? Did Tony somehow squish him from holding on too tight? "What's wrong?"

"Bubby!" The kid was pointing at something. One of the men laughed. 

"I should have burned that stupid stuffed animal." Tony's anger flared, but he forced it down and followed where the kid was pointing. Just behind one of the dumpsters, was a small, brown teddy bear. It looked like it had seen better days, even had one arm and an eye missing. Before Tony could bend down to pick it up, Harley's hand was out of his and he was speeding over to grab the bear and something else. When Harley returned, he could see that the other object was a blue pacifier. 

Harley handed Tony the bear, who handed it to Peter. Next, was the pacifier, but there was no way Tony was letting Peter suck on that thing. Peter was reaching for it, still sobbing, though Tony shook his head. The pacifier was caked in dirt, and maybe even a little blood. "I'll have it cleaned when we get to uh.. the Compound okay?"

Peter stared at him as if he didn't understand a word he had said. Tony ignored that look and finally began walking, Harley's tiny hand back in his as Peter buried his face into his shoulder. Tony's heart clenched again, shifting the child in his arms so he would hopefully be more comfortable. He couldn't believe what he was doing, but kept walking. That's when the rest of his team finally appeared, weapons out as if they were ready to fight.

Tony's armor was still standing guard of the three men. When Tony looked back, they hadn't moved an inch. Now they really looked scared.

"What is going o-" Steve cut himself off when he realised what exactly Tony was holding. Tony noticed that Peter began trembling even more, pressing even tighter into Tony's body as if he were trying to hide. Harley hid behind his leg. "Tony? Why have you got-"

"Shut up." Tony snapped. "You're already scaring them. I'm taking him to the Quinjet. The police should be here for those three dipshits any minute now. I need to get them to medical, so hurry your asses up."

"Tony!" Steve said again, sounding exasperated as Tony stormed past each and every one of them without another word. Peter was crying into his shoulder, his tiny fingers clenching Tony's shirt. It was the one had been wearing while working in the lab, and it was covered in grease. Peter was already covered in so much grime he was sure the grease didn't even matter right now. "Tony-"

"I'll tell you in a minute! Jesus fucking Christ, let me have a second!" Tony yelled maybe a little too loud, sighing when Peter flinched. "Sorry, kid."

Tony stormed into the Quinjet, immediately finding one of the benches to sit down. Peter shifted in his lap as soon as Tony was seated, Harley scrambling onto the bench beside him and latched onto his brother's shirt. Peter's huge eyes stared up at him, and Tony stared back, not really sure what to do now. He just watched Peter's lower lip tremble, tear tracks clear through the dirt and blood. Tony sighed, looking around the jet for something he could clean the kid's face with. There was nothing in sight, and Tony immediately cursed himself and the others for not being prepared in the slightest for the mission. It wasn't even about the kids, they were supposed to be prepared for most things. 

"P-paci?" Peter whispered after a few moments, Tony's brain spending a few seconds to figure out what the kid wanted. Right. The pacifier.

"Sorry, gotta say no to that one. It's gross, could make you sick and we don't need that issue on top of everything else. We'll get it cleaned." Tony had a feeling Peter had no idea what he was on about. He seemed to get the memo that he wasn't getting his pacifier, though, and Tony expected him to start hitting him and lashing out in a tantrum. Instead, the kid leant forwards and pressed his face into Tony's chest, right where the arc reactor used to be. Usually, Tony would have freaked and anything, or anyone, would send him into a panic attack. But the touch was innocent, this wasn't Obie. Just a child, a child he had plucked off of the street.

Harley inched closer ever few seconds, soon to the point where it was obvious he wanted to sit as close to Peter as possible. Tony shifted Peter into his left arm, before letting Harley curl up in his right. Harley was small for his age, too, and it worried Tony. Yeah, he knew nothing about kids and had never wanted kids, but even he knew they weren't supposed to look like this.

He looked down at two little brown-haired boys, unsure what to make of this situation. Tony had no plan in mind from now. Of course, he would get both of their blood to do a DNA test and have FRIDAY create files on them. He would track down family so he could get the kids off his hands as fast as possible.

As soon as Tony had the thoughts of tossing the children out as soon as family surfaced, he felt terrible. He had even had the fleeting thought to leave them there in that fucking disgusting alleyway. Admittedly, Tony was glad he hadn't left the kids there.

Of course, the team chose that moment to charge onto the jet like a stampede of elephants. Tony was glaring at them before they even appeared on the ramp, hoping the glare was enough to stop them from talking. "Not a word."

It was hardly a surprise when everyone ignored him.

"What are you doing, Tony?" Clint had been first, standing right in front of him. Tony looked up at his friend, bringing his arms around the children when they both began to shake from Clint's presence. Tony had no idea why he was acting so defensive, or maybe even protective, but ignored that thought and anticipated what Clint would say next. "You just plucked these random kids off of the street like that? Their parents are-"

"Not here." Tony snapped, glancing around the jet at the team, who were all watching. Natasha was getting ready to fly them out of there, and from that fact alone he knew that they were going to get bad PR from this. They were supposed to stay back for clean up, but now Tony found he had more important issues to deal with than their already damaged reputation. Like, for example, the little humans currently seated in his lap. "What was I supposed to do, Clint? I couldn't just leave them there with those three- they were abusing him when I got there! I wasn't going to just leave them behind."

"Do you even know how they are? What their names are?" Clint asked, Tony wondering why he was so mad. He was a father, he wouldn't have left a kid behind either. 

"Harley is seven, and Peter is four." Tony snapped, and didn't continue. 

"What are you planning to do with them after you get them checked out?" Bruce asked, holding the Hulk's pants around his much smaller waist. He just seemed concerned, not mad like Clint and Steve. Tony wasn't sure how Thor and Natasha felt about it, since their faces were mostly blank. Clint's voice rang around the Quinjet again. "You can't keep them!"

"Who said I would?" Tony asked, rolling his eyes so hard he was sure they were going to get stuck. "Don't talk about them like they're dogs. You of all people should be a little more... accepting."

"I don't have any equipment to check him over." Bruce interrupted the tense silence that followed, looking nervous as he looked between Tony and the archer. Tony's eyes flickered to his friend, who masked his nerves with concern as soon as he realised Tony was looking at him. "We didn't prepare well enough."

"You could say that again." Tony mumbled, shifting the kids in his arms so he could see them a little better. His heart rate picked up a little as he did so, now beginning to realise what exactly was happening right now. He had two fragile, abused children in his arms. Tony was not equipped to look after children, you could ask anybody that. He shook his head a few times, pushing the thought away for later times. "Hey, Harley, can you answer a question for me?"

It took a few moments for the child to peep out of Tony's chest, his wet eyes looking over the jet and then resting on Tony's. Not even a second later, Natasha made the jet airborne. Before Tony could ask his question, Peter absolutely freaked. 

Tony saw the moment it happened, the child's dirty face crumbling and a terrified wail leaving his mouth. One wail, turned into several as the Quinjet began to fly.

"No pwane!" Tony could just make out between his wails, the kid trying to hide back in his chest. Tony held him back with one hand, trying to look into his eyes, not liking the horror he saw there. Tony didn't know much about kids, but he knew they weren't supposed to look this... traumatised?

The Quinjet soared into the sky, Tony had long become used to it, but clearly Peter wasn't. He was crying even harder than he had been when the men had been hurting him, small fingers reaching and creating grabbing motions in Tony's direction as he continued to hold him back. Harley was reaching for his brother, looking like he was about to crack, rubbing his arm and then caressing his cheek. Peter leaned into it, his grabbing motions now directed at Harley, the two curling into each other on top of Tony's lap. Harley's tiny hand patted Peter's back, his face pressing into Tony's shoulder. Tony spared a glance around at his team, who were all watching on with wide eyes as if they were waiting for Tony to snap. "M-Mama Papa d-die! No pwane!"

Tony's breath hitched, trying to understand exactly what those garbled words meant. Clint began speaking, or more so yelling over both the wails and the thrum of the Quinjet. "I'll take him, Tony. I know how to comfort kids."

He hardly had a moment to process the words before Clint was grabbing Peter and lifting him away from Tony and Harley. Now that someone else was holding him, he could see the way the kid's diaper was sagging down in his oversized pants. From the smell that emitted from him, it most likely hadn't been changed in who knows how long. Along with that, the dirt and blood would mix in with that smell. Tony had refused to acknowledge it until now, his gut swirling uncomfortably as he watched Clint try and wrestle the kid into his arms. 

The kid, on the other hand, was not having it. His screams only increased when Clint took him away, little arms and legs flying in every direction in attempts to get away. Harley almost fell off of Tony's lap from the way he launched out, Tony grabbing him around the waist just in time. "Give Peter back! No!"

God, his poor body must hurt. With the amount of blood coating his small frame, and the large gash on his forehead, Harley had to be in pain. Along with that, the bruises that were most likely under all that dirt on his face. 

Tony was not prepared for this. 

He needed a drink.

"It's okay, buddy, you're safe." Tony could hear Clint saying, visibly panicking when he couldn't get a secure hold on the child. Tony wrested with Harley, who was desperately reaching out for his brother. He watched on with gradually widening eyes, ignoring the alert from FRIDAY that the men had been captured by police and that the suit was heading back to the Compound. 

Peter wrestled so violently that he slipped from Clint's hands, the entire thing in slow motion as his tiny body tumbled onto the floor. Harley had screamed and Tony had shot up as soon as he saw what was about to happen, but he was too late, as were the others who had scrambled to help. 

Tony froze when Peter landed right on his feet before toppling over on his side in a matter of seconds. His legs clearly weren't strong enough to hold him up.

In the blink of an eye, the boy was back up and running. Tony didn't move until the kid's body collided with his shins, fingers grabbing onto his pants so hard he feared he would get them pulled down to his ankles. He sat back down with Harley, releasing one hand to hoist Peter back into his lap. Peter and Harley latched onto each other, the two of them now sobbing as loudly as they could. Tony sat back, panicked, wrapping his arms around the children to keep them as safe as possible. There was, no doubt, severe trauma they were dealing with. Tony wondered how Nat was still flying this thing with all the commotion going on.

None of the boys were thrashing anymore. Tony glanced to Clint, who had his mouth open in horror. He himself was still getting over the initial horror watching a four-year-old kid fall, something he didn't think he would be seeing at all in his life. 

"It's okay, kids." He mumbled, turning away from the other's stares that were beginning to melt holes into his head. Without really thinking about it, he began bouncing the boys in the hopes of calming them down, something Jarvis and his mother had done when he was upset as a child. It had always worked on him after something happened with Howard, or at school.

Tony immediately shoved the thoughts of Howard out of his mind, along with every other thought he was ignoring. Howard wasn't something to be worrying about right now, he had these random kids he'd picked up out of a dirty Queens alleyway to worry about. God, kids. Kids that were now, technically, his responsibility because he had saved them. It was already clear that they trusted him to some degree, which terrified the shit out of him. 

"Come on, calm down. We're fine."

"Tony-"

"No!" Tony snarled, turning away from Clint. "Leave me alone for just a second!"

Clint backed off, Tony resuming his pathetic attempts of getting the kids to calm down. 

After a few minutes, Harley peeked his head out from where it was buried in Peter's small shoulder, staring up at Tony. Tony stared right back, unable to think of something to say.

When he didn't say anything, Harley decided to instead. "P-Petey is s-scared of p-planes. His Mama and P-Papa never come back."

Tony took a second to process the words. Harley had said his, not their. Did that mean that these two weren't related after all?

"My parents died too." Tony replied, refusing to show his face to the rest of the Avengers. He knew they were staring, aside from Natasha. "In a car. 

Peter seemed to be listening, because soon there was two sets of eyes staring at him. "P-pwane f-fall?"

"No. We're not going to fall."

"Pwane f-fall." Peter repeated, his fingers on his left hand poking at his wobbling lower lip as if he wanted to suck on them. His other hand was wound in Harley's shirt. "M-Mama an' Papa d-die."

Tony was not ready in the slightest for any of this. He was fucking screwed.

"This plane's not going to fall." Tony said, forcing himself to keep eye contact. Tony was becoming terrified of what to say, what to do, how to act around these kids who seemed to have the same amount of trauma in their combined eleven years of life than he did in his forty-five. Fuck. "We're going to be just fine."

Both children nodded shakily, tears continuing to to fall, though mostly from Peter. The sobs had decreased spectacularly. Was Tony allowed to call that a win? "I-Iwon Man?"

"Yeah?" Tony asked, feeling his breath catch in his throat. Peter was now pointing a finger at him, and if it were any closer he would get a good poke in the eye. The kid then pointed to himself, small finger resting on his dirtied shirt. 

"S-save P-Peter?" Tony's eyebrows rose. 

"Yeah, kid. You're safe now." Tony replied, keeping his arms wrapped around the two tiny kids.

Everything instantly became more real.

Peter leant forward and rested his head back on Tony's shoulder, instead of retreating back to his brother. Tony spotted the kid's bear sitting on the floor, abandoned, having no idea when it had fallen from Peter's grasp. He bent down to pick it up, making sure he didn't drop either kid, before placing it into Peter's arms. The others were still staring, though made efforts to pretend they weren't when they received a glare. 

Harley then rested his head on Tony's other shoulder, hands still on Peter, the both of them heaving in gulps of air. Tony stared off into the distance, eyes wide and unseeing. God, he was far over his head as he always was. But there was nothing else he could have done. He was not leaving a child behind, no matter how unfeeling people claimed he was. There was no possible way he could have left Peter and Harley there.

Tony jumped when a hand rested on his shoulder, wincing when it made Peter whimper. He looked up to see Thor staring down at him, a sad smile on his face. His eyes were soft, comforting, and Tony couldn't help but lean into the gentle touch slightly.

"You did the right thing, Stark."

Tony sent the God a wobbly smile, which was half-real. "Yep."

Thor gave him another genuine smile in return, before turning around and leaving him to his own thoughts.

What had he gotten himself into?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi to anyone who is still here!
> 
> it's been a while.. ahah. i haven't written anything mcu related since i last updated this, and just recently i've been feeling the tiniest bit inspired to start writing irondad fics again! i've missed my babies so so much
> 
> also,, if you're a fan of side effects, an update should be coming at some time either in the next few weeks or months. i'm planning on editing the first 10 chapters and continuing from there. the last few months of my life have been quite hard on me irl, and i haven't really been in the mcu fandom since. but now, hopefully i'm back for good!
> 
> if you're new and don't have any idea what i'm talking about, completely ignore everything i just said 
> 
> thank you for your lovely comments, i read all of them and appreciate it so much <333
> 
> sorry if anything is inaccurate, i've forgotten how to write. lmao.
> 
> enjoy :)

Tony had been hoping, maybe even praying, that both kids would fall asleep on the short ride back to the Compound.

But of course, the world was against him and both Peter and Harley remained wide awake the entire flight.

Peter would whimper pathetically each time the jet would hit turbulence and would press closer, Harley mirroring him. Harley didn't whimper, though, but would inch closer, mimicking Peter. It was already obvious to Tony that Harley was the stronger of the two, both physically and mentally. Peter was tiny, so tiny Tony was scared he would crush him if he held on too tight. Tony had never really noticed how fragile children were, not until he was sitting here with two of them.

He had been expecting another meltdown from Peter on landing, all the kid did was whine quietly and cling onto him so tight Tony thought he might suffocate. This kid sure had a good grip, and Tony was sure there would be a bruise on his shoulder from how hard he was holding on. He took deep breaths through his nose as his chest felt like it was closing in, trying his hardest not to think of Obie's face. Continuing to remind himself that it was just an innocent child making him feel that way, Tony forced himself to remain calm as he refused to make eye contact with any of his team for the time being.

When the plane had landed, he had been relieved. Peter's hold on him lessened just slightly, and Tony could breathe a little bit clearer. When he had stood up, he let Harley back onto the floor and held his hand instead, trying to keep himself calm. He carried Peter, who continued to cling onto him like an octopus. Tony wondered if he removed his hands, if the kid would be able to continue holding on. As he stood up to exit the Quinjet with both children in tow, it was then when he began to realise how real this situation had become.

His headache from earlier began to return as the reality of the situation really began to sink in.

The rest of the team didn't say a word as they began getting out of the Quinjet, Tony making sure to walk slow enough that Harley could keep up without tripping. His stride had been far too quick for the kid at first, and if it weren't for Tony's hand he would have face planted on the ramp. That situation was enough to remind Tony that once again, he wasn't equipped to take care of any sort of child.

He tried not to wrinkle his nose at the smell surrounding him, and tried not to think about what it was and how much of it was getting on his clothes. Tony knew it was a mixture of blood, dirt and human waste, and the sight of it was sickening enough. The smell, though, was worse.

Tony, quite frankly, wanted to vomit and put these kids as far away from him as possible. Now that he was really thinking about it, it was noticeable, and he had no idea how it had been tolerable throughout the flight. He hadn't really noticed, if he was completely honest. There had been much more on his mind. But now, he wished it had stayed that way.

This was the last thing he thought he would be doing when he was in the lab just that morning getting screamed at by Pepper.

They made their way down the ramp, Tony's heart plummeting when he saw what was waiting for them outside.

On the tarmac was non-other than Nick Fury and Maria Hill, some medical staff behind them with two stretchers already out and ready for use. At first, he had assumed the stretchers were there for one of them if they were injured, but then frowned at the thought. That was never the case, unless someone alerted Fury beforehand. No one was injured, and there could only be two more people they could be for.

The kids.

Tony was at the back of the group, looking around with furrowed eyebrows as he tried to figure out exactly what was going on here. Each one of his friends, aside from Thor maybe, seemed to be avoiding his eye as if they knew something he didn't. Thor, instead, looked mournful. Sad. His blue eyes were locked on Tony's, before looking away. Tony immediately knew that someone had told Fury prior to landing about their two additions to the trip without alerting him first.

He didn't know why, but the thought of his team going behind his back hurt a lot more than he thought it should have.

"Where's the kids?" Was the first thing Tony heard from Fury, eyebrows continuing to furrow downward as he watched Fury's sole eye search over the group. Someone in the team had definitely told him. It wouldn't have been FRIDAY, and he was pretty sure it wasn't Thor. Tony wouldn't be surprised if it was Clint or Steve.

Fury's eye landed on him. "Stark?"

Tony said nothing, narrowing his eyes at Clint who had turned around to stare. His expression was completely blank, and somehow that infuriated Tony more.

Tony wasn't so surprised that the team had gone behind his back. Ever since Ultron things had been on thin ice, and Tony found he was rarely told the goings on within the team. The trust only seemed to go one way, apparently.

Tony, hiking Peter just a little higher on his hip, narrowed his eyes and didn't say a word.

Harley was hiding behind his leg, head buried in the back of his thigh. Tony tightened his grip on the boy's hand a little, maintaining his glare. Tony had already began formulating a plan in his mind of what he would do with the kids, but now all that was ruined thanks to a snitch.

Tony could feel the saliva leaking out of Peter's mouth and onto his neck as he sucked on his thumb. It was pretty gross, but it was nothing compared to what else he was being covered in. Spit was just adding onto the package, and he found himself not caring so much anymore. If this was Tony from yesterday, he would have squirmed and swore about how he would never let a disgusting little kid near him. Now, it seemed to be the furthest thought from his mind.

It confused him.

While a whirlwind went on in Tony's mind, the few doctors with Fury had begun surging forwards. A man lead the charge, Tony backing up a little when he realised was was happening, affronted by the sudden movement. He heard Peter whimper, his little hand digging deeper into Tony's shoulder and squeezing tighter, Harley stumbling back when Tony did. Tony had a fleeting moment of panic that he had stepped on the kid, but when he glanced down, Harley was still hiding.

Ignoring the ache of Peter's iron grip, he watched the other two nurses rush up beside the doctor who had stopped in front of them. They had been pushing the stretchers, and were already reaching out to take Peter from him.

It was almost as if the kid sensed what was about to happen, an ear-piercing scream that probably burst Tony's eardrums suddenly erupting from his mouth. Tony winced, about to step further back but was not fast enough, ending up with him accidentally standing on Harley's tiny foot. Harley hadn't made a sound, only holding on tighter. Suddenly, Tony felt very constricted.

The nurses were grabbing Peter from him, Tony's body stiffening as he tried to figure out what the hell they were trying to do. "What are you do-"

"We need to get them to medical, these children are seriously injured!"

Tony felt rooted to the spot. Peter was yanked from his arms with a surprising force, it seeming like he was holding on for dear life. When Peter had been dislodged, the pain eased a little, but the ache remained.

With his now free hand, Tony rubbed the spot and swore under his breath.

In a flash, as if the doctor had noticed Tony wasn't prepared, Harley was pulled away from him as well. Tony watched motionlessly as Harley was dragged towards the stretcher, kicking at the nurses legs as he screamed for Peter.

Tony lunged forward to snatch Peter away from the bitch, but it was too late, someone was grabbing his arm and yanking him back against their chest, and he could do nothing to get the kids he had saved.

Why was he feeling so protective? Tony still didn't trust SHIELD, even after the HYDRA scum had been flushed out. They were hiding things, they always were. HYDRA was still functioning, the Winter Soldier was still out there somewhere. HYDRA had been back with their poorly-built robots, and Tony was almost certain that it had been a distraction for something much bigger. However, he had found his mind was completely occupied by these random children he had known for just over an hour. HYDRA hadn't even been in the top five in his list of worries.

He didn't want them to be left alone, not like he was as a kid.

Tony winced at his own thoughts, shoving them away instantly. He didn't want to think about that anymore.

Peter was wailing at the top of his lungs, trying to get off of the stretcher as Harley was being placed on the second one. Tony watched the white sheets instantly become dirty underneath both children, Tony wondering how long it had been since they had been washed.

Harley only had eyes for his brother, reaching out for him as Peter did the same. Though, Peter had one arm stretched in the direction of Harley, and another in Tony's. Both of his hands were making grabbing motions, and Tony was unsure whether to believe Peter was reaching out for him or not. Maybe he was just flailing, Tony had no idea. He didn't want to believe that a child was actually calling for him, because no child was ever supposed to feel safe with Tony Stark.

Tony tried to push the person holding him away, but their arms were rock solid. He knew who it was instantly, an a sudden burst of anger shot through his veins. "Steve, let me go!"

"You need to let them get checked out, you don't need to worry about them anymore." Steve replied, his voice merely a whisper. He sounded too calm. Tony wanted to punch the super soldier in the face, but he knew the punch would hurt him more than it hurt Steve. "They'll be fine. They're not your responsibility anymore."

"'ony!" Peter screamed at the same time, distracting Tony from the words Steve had been saying. The sheer terror in the little boy's voice yanked on heartstrings Tony didn't even know he had. The kid actually knew his name and hadn't called him Iron Man this time. "'ony!"

Tony struggled again, trying to kick Steve in the shins but to no avail. Before he knew it, the kids were being wheeled away and there was nothing he could do to stop them. Once they were out of sight, Tony deflated, sighing heavily and angrily. Steve's arms remained tight around his torso.

Steve didn't let him go as Fury approached, eyebrows raised.

"We were alerted by Mr. Barton that these children are in serious need of medical attention. By the looks of it, wouldn't you agree, Mr. Stark?" Yes, of course he fucking agreed. Getting these kids to medical was the whole purpose of plucking them off of the street. But not like this. It was all forceful, it was fast, and Peter had been crying for him. Him! Tony would have never imagined that a baby would call for him of all people, but now that he had seen this young, innocent kid do exactly that, he had no idea how to feel. "They are no longer your responsibility. We will have them tested and reunited with their families."

"No." Tony growled, resisting the urge to spit in Fury's face. "I'll be doing that."

Fury rolled his eyes. "That's not your decision to make. You brought them in, good job. You saved their lives. Go for debriefing, act as normal. Those kids will be placed with their families. If they have none, off to foster care to find a new one. Now everyone, go!"

"Fuck you." Tony muttered when Fury turned around, not caring if the man heard him or not. If he did, he didn't react.

Finally, Steve let him go, Tony yanking his arm away from the super soldier as hard as he could. His shoulder ached right where Peter had been clinging onto him. Tony didn't pay it much thought as he spat the words, "Get the fuck off me, would you?"

Despite his little spat, Tony obediently followed his team into the meetings room, slumping in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. There was a pungent aroma hanging around him, there was grime all over his clothes, but he couldn't give less of a fuck. He was almost too angry to care, and he didn't care if the others could smell it. The quicker this was over with, the faster he would be able to go down into his lab and have a shower. Then, he would destroy some things to forget about everything that had just happened. He would forget about those kids, and do what Fury had said. They were in safe hands now.

He didn't really listen throughout debrief, only making input when required.

Tony tried his hardest to forget about Harley and Peter, knowing that they were in safer hands now, that he didn't need to worry anymore. But the more he thought about them, the more he felt the urge to go steal them back from the nurses and find their families before SHIELD could. It would have been better if he didn't know their names. Knowing their names made everything far too real.

As soon as the debrief was over, Tony retreated into the lab the quickest he ever had. Enforcing the Black Out Protocol so no one could get in to scold him for his behaviour, Tony went straight to the bathroom that connected to the lab.

Stripping himself of his dirtied clothes, Tony stepped under the warm spray and sighed. He stared at the ceiling, watching the steam float away as he tried to ignore all the thoughts going through his mind. Tony hated kids. He always had, he had never wanted children. He had reminded himself of that fact many, many times.

Though he knew deep down the reason he didn't want kids was not because he hated them, but because of how Howard treated him. Tony didn't want to turn out like that. He wouldn't have wanted his own kids to hate him the way he hated Howard.

If he was completely honest, Tony didn't necessarilyhatekids. At all.

Tony's chest ached. With HYDRA and aliens to worry about, these two kids were the least of his problems. They would be placed in a foster home and everything would be settled. Tony would never have to think about their young faces ever again.

However, he had a feeling Peter's cries would haunt him forever.

Tony stayed in the shower for a long time, mostly thinking, letting the water wash away whatever germs had gotten onto his skin. He threw on the spare clothes he had down in the lab, avoiding looking in the mirror as he exited the bathroom. DUM-E rushed over to him, beeping happily, patting Tony's thigh with his claw. Tony let a smile fall on his lips, patting DUM-E's claws before taking a seat at his desk.

He made FRIDAY turn his music up as loud as possible, trying to block all other thoughts out as he had been doing since Peter was ripped from his arms. Though, the longer he worked, the more he thought about the kids and the situation in which he had found them, the looks on their faces before they realised Iron Man was there. How long had Peter and Harley been with those men? How long had they been getting abused for? How had they ended up there and not in a foster home? How had they even ended up together?

The headache was back, and it was persistent and pounding in the side of Tony's head. He wasn't sure how long he was trying to get some work done until FRIDAY cut off the music without his permission. He opened his mouth ready to start swearing out his frustrations due to the pent up anger, but FRIDAY started talking before he could even get a word out.

"I apologise, Boss, but I believe that your assistance is needed in the med bay." Tony was already standing, ignoring how bad his head pounded with the movement. The headache had been lingering, and had been getting worse from the loud music. Tony didn't even know why he had stood up so fast, or why he was even going through with what FRIDAY was telling him. "Young Peter and Harley appear to be in extreme distress and are unwilling to let Ms. Cho take their blood, and she has requested your assistance. I believe that Young Harley and Young Peter want you to be there, several other doctors have tried but there has been no success."

"Have they been cleaned?" Tony asked as he began making his way out the lab, ignoring all of his thoughts telling him that this wasn't his problem anymore. Tony's mind paused on the thought of the kids wanting him of all people, though pushed it away instantly.

He had saved the kids, and that was it. He wasn't supposed to interfere anymore, because Tony would fuck them up even more than they already were.

"Yes. All wounds have been tended to despite several protests." FRIDAY replied after a second, opening the lift doors for him as he spoke. Her voice was calming, as if she knew how much Tony was internally freaking out. "No child is in a state of immediate danger regarding their injuries. All are treatable and will heal with time."

Tony nodded, pacing around the lift. "Is anyone else with them?"

"Young Harley refuses to let anyone near himself and Young Peter since being cleaned. Only Ms. Cho is in the room, and has been for the last two hours. Each child is resisting food offered to them."

Tony nodded again, relieved when the door finally opened to the medical wing. "Room?"

As FRIDAY listed off the number, Tony tried to make it look like he wasn't speed-walking to get there as fast as possible. He wasn't sure why he felt like this, but he pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he finally found the right room. He could hear crying already, and as Tony peered through the window on the door, he felt something twist within his chest. Harley and Peter were curled up on one bed, tiny arms wrapped around each other, refusing to let Helen near them whenever she approached. Tony hesitated, standing by the door and just watching.

They were both dressed in little hospital gowns, where the doctors had gotten them from Tony had no idea. It was obvious that Peter was wearing a diaper underneath, the hospital gown riding up just enough for the padded underwear to be visible. Peter didn't have a scratch on him, no bandaging, nothing. In contrast to Harley, who had little scratches and cuts all over his arms, a large bandage on his forehead and some smaller band aids on his cheeks. At this moment, Tony didn't ponder on the difference between the two children, too busy trying to comprehend that these were the same two kids that had been covered in dirt and blood just a few hours ago.

He could also see Peter's brown bear abandoned on the bed, realising with a start that he still had Peter's pacifier in the pocket of his other pants, which were currently on the floor of the lab's bathroom.

Tony continued to hesitate. If he left now, no one would see him and he would be able to leave as if he had never been there.

Tony could pretend he didn't care about these two kids he'd saved off of the street, pretend that his job was was done that they were like any other civilian. But no normal civilians hadn't clung onto him like Peter and Harley had, and he didn't know the names or ages of the public. Tony felt an undeniable pull towards those kids just on the other side of the glass, despite knowing he should never see them again. He would find their remaining families and send them off home, and if not, he would send them to a foster home.

Before Tony could turn around and leave, he was seen. Harley's teary eyes met his through the glass, and immediately Tony was fixed with a pleading gaze. Tony stared into those eyes, never thinking a child would ever look at him like that, in pure innocence. He hesitated once again, before sighing heavily enough for his chest to hurt with phantom pain, opening the door and forcing himself to go into the room.

Peter's head turned so fast Tony thought he might get whiplash, distantly wishing he had never come here when Peter's face crumpled even more. With one hand squeezing Harley's hospital gown, he reached out for Tony.

Tony spared a glance to Helen, who was smiling rather pleasantly for someone who had been dealing with two crying children for hours on end. Tony looked away, phantom pain continuing to pulse throughout his chest as he made his way over to the kids, sitting down on the bed beside them. He was clueless as of what to do, simply sitting there and holding Peter's hand when the boy continued to reach for him. The boy's skin was soft.

"It's nice of you to join us, Mr. Stark." Her voice wasn't sarcastic, like most would sound when saying those same words. Tony found himself actually wanting to smile, though was far too distracted by the two little boys who were shuffling closer to him, as if they thought he could protect them from anything. That responsibility weighed heavy on Tony's shoulders, and he was pretty sure Howard would be rolling in his grave right now if he could see what was happening. "I heard you're the one who brought these two in?"

"Yeah." Tony whispered, subconsciously grabbing Peter's bear and began examining it. It was covered in grime, and it would surely need to be washed. Same with the pacifier, but it had looked destroyed. He'd need a new one. "Fri said I was needed?"

"Yes." Helen replied, grabbing one of the chairs and rolled it over, sitting in front of the three of them. She had a fond look in her eye that Tony couldn't determine, the niceness making him feel uncomfortable. Tony liked Helen, he really did, but no one was ever that nice to him. Aside from Rhodey, who had put up with him during his MIT years. Even Pepper, when they had been dating. Now, she was as cold as ever. Tony still didn't know what he had done wrong to make her break up with him as she did. No one ever stuck around. Rhodey was the only consistent in his life. "We've cleaned them up, the gowns were the only things we had their size. We had diapers for the staff's children stored away."

"Isn't four too old for diapers?" Tony asked after a second, immediately regretting it because the kids were sitting right there. Peter, in which, who was now fisting Tony's shirt sleeve with one hand. The other hand, of course, was still with Harley. He didn't seem to be listening.

"In some cases, yes." Helen replied, smiling. Tony wondered if she had any children of her own, he had never bothered to ask. "Some can be ready at eighteen months, and others not until they're three or four. You said they were living on the streets, correct?"

Tony nodded, handing Peter the bear when he began whining. Tony had no idea how the fuck to react, feeling more lost than he ever could.

"There is the possibility that he may have never been potty trained." Helen continued, before looking to Peter. Peter didn't seem to even be listening, and Harley looked like he was about to doze off. His arms were still protectively around his brother, seemingly squeezing as tight as he could. Tony remembered wishing for a sibling when he was Harley's age, specifically an older one so they could protect him from his father. "I need to take their blood to make sure everything is okay, and I'm sure you'd like to find out who their parents are."

"Petey's Mommy and Daddy fell in a plane." Harley mumbled, Tony's breath catching in his throat. He had forgotten about that piece of information, and wished he hadn't been reminded. Especially from Harley. "Daddy left me."

Helen looked shocked for a total of two seconds before turning around, gathering her equipment along with her composure. She didn't say anything, and neither did Tony. No one knew what to say. The kids didn't seem to mind.

"Okay, Tony." Helen began, pulling her chair closer with a needle in her hand. Tony gulped at the sight of it, knowing that none of the kids had to be reacting well if it had taken this long to get a blood test. "You're going to hold Peter for me so I can take his blood, okay? I think it will be easier for him if he's held."

Tony nodded along to the words, before staring hopelessly at Peter. With a sigh, he placed his hands on Peter's hips and hefted him onto his lap, his hands detaching from Harley. Harley's arms were loose, simply flopping to his sides as Tony pulled Peter into his lap. Tony was expecting the screaming to start, but all Peter did was stare at him and suck on his thumb. Harley didn't even fight Tony for taking Peter away from him, not like he had to the doctors.

Now that Peter was clean, Tony could really examine the boy's face. Bambi brown eyes, pale skin, curly brown hair. There were a few freckles spread across his soft cheeks, and he had a very small nose. Cute.

Tony's eyes widened for a split second. He never called anything cute.

"Turn him around so his back is to your chest." Helen said quietly, Tony doing as he was told. Peter didn't fight him, Tony wrapping his arms around the boy's tiny waist, his chest tightening when Peter's tiny fingers wrapped around Tony's index finger. Helen smiled kindly, shuffling closer with the needle in hand.

"Okay, honey." Helen's voice was a notch higher than usual, which caught Peter's attention almost immediately. "I think you know what's going to come, don't you?"

Peter must have seen the needle, because his body tensed. Seconds later, a whimper left his mouth, and he was shaking his little head rapidly. Harley had moved so he was standing on the bed, one hand on Tony's shoulder for support, and the other patting Peter on the head. Helen looked shocked, like this hadn't happened before Tony had gotten here.

"It's only going to be a pinch before it's over." Helen continued, gently pulling his arm so his inner elbow was exposed. Putting down the needle momentarily, she rubbed the spot with alcohol. Peter suddenly wailed, pushing back against Tony's chest as he did so, Helen holding his arm as she grabbed the needle. Tony tried to stop him from struggling as much as possible, surprisingly not being annoyed by the crying. The crying didn't sound annoying, it sounded... sad. Scared. He hated it. "It's alright, honey. You have your brother and Tony right here with you, it's going to be okay. Only a few seconds and it will be over, alright, sweetheart?"

"N-no!" Peter wailed, choking on his sobs and kicking his legs a few times. Tony rested his chin on top of Peter's head, keeping his grip tight. "Harwey!"

"It's okay Petey." Was Harley's response, the boy now sitting back down and holding Peter's little hand.

"No!" Peter wailed again, Tony watching the needle get closer. "Bad! B-Bad! H-Hurt!"

Tony's eyebrows furrowed, and Helen halted for a few seconds. "It's okay, kid."

"Bad!" Peter cried out again, Helen's hand continuing to move. Within seconds, it was being inserted into Peter's arm, and the scream he let out was the worst by far. Tony closed his eyes, holding onto Peter as Helen took his blood, opening them when he was sure she was done. Peter was sobbing, Tony bouncing his knees in an attempt to calm the kid down like he had done on the Quinjet.

"All done, sweetheart. All done. You were so brave." Helen encouraged as she stuck a plain band aid over the little hole, rubbing his hand a few times afterwards. "Good boy. Very good."

Peter didn't stop sobbing, the sounds broken and pained. Tony hated it.

"It's all over, buddy." Tony mumbled, feeling overwhelmed himself. "You did good."

Tony continued to bounce his knees as Helen set up a second needle, letting Harley cuddle into his side as Peter cried it out. It took a sold fifteen minutes for Peter to finally calm, and Tony knew there had to be some reason the kid was reacting the way he was. This couldn't just be normal fear of needles, something had to have happened in his past. God, these kids carried as much trauma on their shoulders as Tony did.

"Alright, sweetie." Helen whispered, moving over to Harley. "It's your turn."

Tony glanced over to Harley, who had tears glistening in his eyes. He leant heavily on Tony, slowly opening his elbow up for Helen without any complaints. Tony sighed inwardly, situating Peter so the kid could bury his face in his shoulder, before wrapping one arm around Harley in hopes of comfort. It seemed to help a little, Harley relaxing in just the slightest as Helen rubbed his inner elbow with alcohol. How had Tony ended up in such a situation?

"You're being very brave." Helen commented as she got the needle ready for insertion. "Only a few seconds and it's over. This isn't to hurt you, Tony and I just want to help you."

Harley nodded, his lower lip quivering. Tony watched the needle go in this time, wincing when Harley whimpered. He didn't cry like Peter had, but tears still leaked down his cheeks and soaked his gown. Once it was over, Harley was burying his face in Tony's side.

"You boys are both very brave." Helen said as she gathered the tubes containing their blood. "We're both very proud of you."

"Yeah."

It fell silent as the two boys calmed down, Tony a little surprised with how fast they dozed off. Peter was making snoring sounds against his neck, sucking on his thumb and drooling onto Tony's skin once again. Harley slept soundly, mouth hanging open and dried tears on his cheeks.

Together, he and Helen laid the kids down, placing them together and pulling up the sheets. Almost as if they were magnets, the two boys glued themselves together and curled up, almost disappearing beneath the blanket. "What are you going to do from here?"

Tony looked to Helen, who had her hand outstretched. Tony took the blood samples, which were now labelled. He was rather surprised she was giving them to him and not Fury, quickly snatching them from Helen's hands before she could change her mind. She didn't seem bothered by the quick action, still awaiting Tony's reply.

"FRIDAY's going to check it out." Tony said after a few moments, finding that his eyes began to drift toward the two boys. "I'll try track down family. If there's none, I'll take them to a foster home."

"You'll be taking them?" Helen asked, her voice not unkind or judgemental. "Don't feel like you're obligated to do this. We have SHIELD agents who can figure that out for us, and it won't be your problem again. They can even do their samples, you have a lot of work to do, don't you?"

"I want to do it." Tony snapped, a little harshly, not really sure where the anger had come from. He instantly felt bad. "I saved them, it's my responsibility. I don't want them falling into the wrong hands."

"I understand." Helen rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. "They trust you. I wasn't trying to offend you, just making sure you know you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I know. I'm sorry." Tony mumbled, his stomach churning with unease. His eyes drifted back to the children. "I'm going to go check this out. I'll be back with results as soon as I can. Does Fury know I'll be doing it myself?"

"He'll find out soon enough." Helen smiled. "But I won't tell him."

Tony nodded once. "Look after them?"

"Of course. They'll still be here when you get back."

Tony

Tony's lips quirked very slightly, before he left in one swift motion. With one last fleeting glance to the two babies curled up in a much too large bed, he took off down the hallway and made his way down hallway back to the lift. Tony was confused by the guilt he felt when he left the floor entirely, feeling like he was betraying the kids by leaving them on a floor with a bunch of people they didn't know. Technically, they didn't know Tony either, but they seemed to trust him enough. Helen had even told him that the boys trusted him.

Fear ran ice cold through Tony's veins, causing him to shiver violently as he walked towards the lift. Ignoring the glances from the other medical staff, he got into the lift and immediately had FRIDAY take him back to the lab. He held the two viles protectively in his hands, not so sure that he wanted to go through that procedure again if he dropped one.

Once he was back inside his lab with the Black Out Protocol enabled, he immediately set into work. Within twenty minutes, FRIDAY was analysing Peter's blood sample while Tony worked on one of his suits to eat up the time.

"Boss, Ms. Potts is requested access." FRIDAY said for the fifteenth time in the last ten minutes, Tony nearing his last nerve as he glared at the direction where Pepper would be standing. He couldn't see her through the window, and she couldn't see him. When they were dating, Pepper was usually the only one who could break Tony's protocols. When they broke up, those privileges left, and Tony was left alone once again. Only FRIDAY had permission. "She is rather angry that you are ignoring her."

"Tell her to fuck off." Tony snapped, resisting the urge to give in to drinking. His cabinet was still stocked, waiting, but he had been sober for months now. The cabinet was locked, and the only one who could open it was FRIDAY. "I don't want to see her or anyone until this is finished."

"Will do, Boss. Maybe in a more polite fashion." Tony smirked the tiniest bit. It was silent for a minute or two before FRIDAY spoke back up. "Ms. Potts would like information on the children. I believe she wants to see them."

"Tell her no." Tony rolled his eyes, becoming more impatient as the minutes passed. Pepper being so persistent was out of character for her, and Tony had no idea how he felt about the intrusion of privacy. Yeah, he locked himself in his lab more often than not. But Pepper had never stood outside for so long. "I don't want to see her or anyone."

"Very well."

It fell silent, and FRIDAY didn't speak again. Tony threw himself back into his work, soon ending up researching HYDRA. No new activity had been reported, it was almost as if they had been wiped off of the planet after being found in SHIELD. Of course, they weren't completely gone, Tony wasn't that naive. They couldn't be. The Winter Soldier was still out there. Tony's only question was why they wanted the Avengers to be distracted by their poorly-made robots.

Tony sighed, resting his head in his hands and rubbed his temples with his fingers. Pain pulsed around his head, distracting him from the task at hand, almost forcefully reminding him about Harley and Peter. No matter how much he tried not to, his thoughts always came back to them. He wondered I they were still sleeping, how he would find their families, what they would find in their blood samples. Tony hadn't forgotten about the man calling Peter a mutant, and the abnormally powerful grip that the kid had on him when Tony had been carrying him.

Tony felt his curiosity spike, causing him to stand from his desk and make his way over to the bathroom. Ignoring his dirty clothes on the floor, Tony looked at himself in the mirror and at the skin on his shoulder. Just near his collarbone, was a tiny little bruise in the shape of a hand. It wasn't bad, just a little purple, having Tony's eyebrows rise slowly up his forehead as he focused on the small mark. Maybe kids just naturally had a strong grip?

An uneasy feeling settled in Tony's stomach. Enough weird things had happened today, and this was just adding the icing to the cake. If Peter really was a mutant of some kind, how could Tony send him into a foster home as if he was just some normal kid? SHIELD would want to know if they had a mutant on their hands. Tony didn't know if he liked the thought of Fury knowing Peter was a mutant.

But, Tony wasn't sure that Peter was really a mutant just yet. The blood test would confirm or deny his suspicions.

Tony continued to look at the small bruise, rubbing it with the pads of his fingers, unsure how to react.

Could a child really hold on that hard?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment some prompts for irondad one shots!! i want to get back into the swing of things.

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is always greatly appreciated. <3 
> 
> if anyone wants to talk or be friends, hit up my dms on instagram or tweet at me! both users are @stcrksrogers , and i could really use a friend :(


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